


With or Without

by Rosalee_Mariabellum



Series: Behind A Mask [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Beware of writters, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Manipulation, She knows!, TELL ME!, They so got played, Which She?, Who Knows?, so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8945656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosalee_Mariabellum/pseuds/Rosalee_Mariabellum
Summary: Takes place two months after 'If A Dream Is A Wish...'. Can be read on its own, but at the very least you should read the one before this cause it will make so much more sense. Trust me.
It's time for Mr.Oblivious to wake up. Or at least someone seems to think so. Better hurry Agreste, or you'll loss whatever chance you had.
Ladrien (Sorta kinda... It works alright)





	

It had been about two months since the Dream Fairy attack and Chat's visit to Marinette's balcony. There had been a few akuma attacks but nothing major. However Adrien was beginning to feel very anxious about...things.

 

Since Chat's visit, Marinette had been acting different. Less...excitable. She often seemed to be lost in thought, but the strangest thing was that when he tried to ask her if something was wrong, she didn't freak out and stutter as she usually did. Normally she would have nervously rambled on leaving him to try an decipher what she had said, and even though he didn't get an answer like usual, this time she hardly said a word to him, leaving nothing but an awkward silence as she walked away. He considered going to see her as Chat but he couldn't think of a good excuse for dropping by.

 

Ladybug too had been acting different since then. She was quiet, distant even. He would often find her wearing the same lost in thought expression he found on Marinette. He couldn't quite put it to words but for some reason he felt like it was his fault.

 

It wasn't like Adrien could say he was any better. He kept getting lost in his own thoughts as well. Adrien also found that he began to act nervous and more self-conscious around Marinette. His conversations with Ladybug where more lacking than usual too. He spent many sleepless nights with Sierra's words stuck in his head.

 

Sierra had become fast friends with Marinette and Alya as well as with Nino and Adrien. She told them about life in the states and of her travels, they really liked her. They also met Caleb, her cousin, though he acted more like a brother. He hung out with them sometimes. Caleb was a tall brunette that typically wore a white and blue t-shirt and jeans, he was about two years older than them.

 

Today the six of them were out at the mall together, just hanging out and shopping for supplies. Sierra was going to be leaving soon and they had decided to plan a going away party for her. When they started to get hungry, Caleb had decided to treat them all to some ice cream.

 

"Hey man, thanks! You’re awesome!" Nino exclaimed as Caleb handed him his ice cream.

 

"No prob man. My pleasure."

 

"Still, you didn't need to treat us." Marinette said with a thoughtful look as she reached for her purse. "Let me pay you back."

 

Caleb put his hand up in front of her. "No way Marinette. I won't accept it." He flashed Marinette a smile that made a pit form in Adrien's stomach. "Just think of this as my way of saying 'thank you' for taking such good care of my precious little cousin."

 

"Geez Caleb, you are so embarrassing." Sierra blushed slightly and put her palm to her forehead.

 

"It my job, cuz." Caleb gave her a teasing smile and Sierra just huffed, crossed her arms and pouted.

 

"Speaking of Sierra. How's your story coming along?" Alya nudged the girl with her elbow.

 

Sierra's pouting face was lost to one of excitement. "Oh it's coming along great! I've made some major headway with this one. Paris has given me so much inspiration. I have so many ideas for new stories too."

 

"That's great. You know, I still can't believe you got turned into one of your story’s characters. Man, you were wicked as the dream fairy. What was her deal anyway?"

 

"It was quite unexpected. The dream fairy is supposed to be a guardian of people's dreams. Watching over them and entering their dreams when they need her help. That evil version of her that I became was due to Chloé destroying my book. I was writing about her when it happened so that's probably why I turned into her."

 

"Man, that's just not right." Said Caleb.

 

"Someone really outta put a muzzle on that girl." Said Alya.

 

"Agreed." said Marinette.

 

"I can't believe you used to be friends with her." Said Nino, nudging Adrien in the side.

 

"She's not _that_ bad." All five of them turned to look at him. "Ok, so she's that bad." Adrien said with a shrug.

 

As if on cue, the blond in question walked out of a store down the way with Sabrina in tow. Catching sight of the group she sneered, turned on her heel and stomped off. Sabrina tailing after her, struggling to keep hold of all the blond's bags. All six burst into laughter at the sight, causing several onlookers to turn their way.

 

"Hahaha. She really doesn't like us." Sierra says, still laughing.

 

"Not at all." Marinette says, an eye roll accentuating her point.

 

"Haha, oh, hey Alya? Go into that store with me? I'd like your opinion on something." Said Caleb as he pointed to the store he was talking about.

 

"Yeah sure."

 

"Great! The rest of you can go on ahead, we'll meet up." Caleb and Alya walked away and entered the store.

 

"What was that about?" Asked a slightly offended Nino.

 

"Don't mind him." Said Sierra "Hey Nino, there's a music shop I wanted to check out. Will you come with me?"

 

"Sure dudette. You two play nice while we're gone." Nino said, turning to Marinette and Adrien.

 

Both of them blushed and Nino just laughed. "Come on. Looks like they could use the space." Said a giggling Sierra as the two's blushing intensified.

 

Now alone, an awkward silence fell over the two. Looking at the girl beside him, she seemed to have her eyes anywhere but where he was.

 

"S-so, do you know what you're going to get Sierra? Her present that is. Y-you know, for her going away party." A very nervous Adrien managed to sheepishly say.

 

"..Uh, yeah. I was thinking of making her a dress."

 

"O-oh! That's cool. Your designs are always amazing."

 

Once again an awkward silence passed between the two.

 

"S-so, ya know, I was thinking, maybe, that I could get her a decorative writing set.. or something. M-maybe you could help me pick one out? T-that is if you want to, I-I mean I'm not gonna force you or anything, I just thought... But you don't have to if you don't want-"

 

"Sure."

 

"R-really?" Stunned by her easy acceptance of his offer, it took Adrien a moment process her answer.

 

"Yeah. Come on."

 

 

"So what did you want my opinion on? Surely it's not on anything in here." Alya asked, shooting a questioning look at the tall boy.

 

"Sure it is. I want your opinion on...this." He grabbed an over sized white t-shirt from a nearby table and held it up to himself. The shirt had a large, fat gray tabby cat with a grumpy face and a coffee mug that said 'cats rule' on it. "What do you think? Is it me?"

 

Arching her eyebrow, the girl stared at him before answering. "Ye~ah. Now what is this really about?"

 

"Ok look" he tossed the shirt onto the table. "You're right. I don't want your fashion advice. I want your help."

 

"Oh? With what?"

 

"Alya... I need a favor from you."

 

 

The next week came and went in a flash. Before they knew it, it was already the day of Sierra's party. They had gotten permission to have the party at the school and the whole class was helping to set up the decorations. Max handed streamers to Kim, who hung them. Alix and Ivan set up the tables as Rose and Juleka set up the table cloths and food. Mylène and Nathanaël were handling the balloons and Adrien was helping Nino set up his DJ equipment.

 

"Any idea where the girls are?" Adrien asked as he looked around the room for them.

 

"They're probably just trying to keep Sierra busy. Don't want her walking in on the surprise." Said Nino as he fiddled with the wires.

 

Suddenly Alya came flying into the room. She stopped in the doorway and looked around frantically. Seeing the boys, she ran over to them with a worried look on her face.

 

"Adrien!"

 

"Whoa. Alya, what's wrong?" The expression on her face made Adrien worry. He could tell something was wrong and his thoughts immediately went to Marinette. Alya was supposed to be with Marinette.

 

"Yeah babe, where's the fire?"

 

"Adrien!" Alya says again, completely ignoring Nino's comment. "There's trouble!"

 

He caught her arms in his hands and bent to look at her on eye level. "Alya, calm down. Where's Marinette? Wasn't she supposed to be with you?"

 

"That's just it! That's the problem! It's Caleb, Adrien!"

 

"Alya what are you talking about?" Nino says, concern for the frantic girl on his face. It made Adrien grow a bit cold.

 

"Calm down, you're not making any sense, Alya. What's Caleb got to do with this?"

 

"Caleb asked me to get Marinette alone. But I didn't think this was why! I thought he just wanted to talk to her!"

 

"Everything's going to be fine, Alya. Where are they?" The words came out far calmer than Adrien felt right now. Panic and fear stung his insides as they filled him, threatening to make him burst like a balloon.

 

"By the wall, near the back of the school!" As soon as she said the words, he was running.

 

"Nino look after her!" He called back.

 

"On it, bro!"

 

"Hurry!" She called after him, but he was already out the door.

 

He didn't need to be told twice. It was silly to think he had to be told once. He took the steps two at a time and hit the ground running. His heart raced, he could feel it in his throat, it was partially form the adrenaline but mainly from the thought of Marinette in trouble. Adrien wasn't nearly as fast as he was when he's Chat, but he was definitely not slow. Pushing the doors open, he suddenly came to an abrupt halt, frozen in place.

 

There, against the wall, was Marinette. In front of her stood Caleb, leaning over her, his hand on the wall behind her. He couldn't see them very well from where he stood, but Marinette didn't seem happy. Her hands pushed against his chest and he held her chin so she couldn't look away. Their faces were close. Too close.

 

It looked like he was kissing her.

 

Everything froze. The world around him turned to ice. Just as quickly, the ice turned to fire, a burning, inexplicable rage that left him only seeing red. It consumed him, burned him, built within and threatened to destroy him.

 

His anger seething, he grabbed Caleb and pulled him off Marinette. "Hey! Leave her alone!"

 

Adrien stood between them now. The force of the sudden movements caused Caleb's knees to buckle partially. Adrien held him by the collar of his shirt, their new position left them with Adrien looking down and Caleb looking up.

 

"Hey, man. Chill." Caleb threw his hands up in a nonthreatening position. "We were just having a friendly conversation."

 

"Didn't look that friendly to me." His words were a growl and he struggled to contain his anger. _Who was_ he _to try and take something that was his?_

 

"Depends on where you're looking." The smug smile Caleb gave him only made his anger stronger.

 

"Why you-" He wanted to make him hurt. To feel pain. He wanted to make sure he would never come near her again.

 

"What?" Caleb snapped as he stood back up, taking Adrien's wrist he pushed the hand away. "Come on man, what's? Are you her father or something? The lady can take care of herself."

 

"The _lady_ doesn't like you." was the return.

 

"How do you know that? You're not her boyfriend. Why do you care?"

 

"Yeah, Adrien." He winced at the sound of her voice. She wasn't happy. She had been behind him, silently watching the two boys. Suddenly he felt… embarrassed? No, well yes but no... guilty? Slowly he turned to her, she looked angry and frustrated and confused. "Why _do_ you care?"

 

"I-Well I, uh..."

 

She let out a loud groan as she huffed and shook her head. "Forget it. I'm going home." She started to walk away.

 

"Marinette, Wait! I-"

 

Quickly the girl turns on her heel. "What Adrien!? What do you want to say to me!?"

 

"I-... Uh..."

 

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes as she lets out another loud "Uggh!" Before tuning to leave again.

 

"Well that went well." Said a voice from behind him. Adrien's attention immediately snapped back to the tall boy as he remembered his anger. Turning halfway he placed one hand on the tall boy's chest, pushing him as he completed the turn. The force of the push caused Caleb to fall flat on his butt.

 

"Get lost!" Turning Adrien ran in the direction Marinette had left.

 

Now alone, the tall boy stood up and brushed himself off, chuckling to himself. He walked back to the building and stopped after he passed through the doors. "Boy those two are a lot of work."

 

"Yeah, but I think they're worth it." Said the small voice of the short blond who leaned against wall by the door.

 

"You just love to meddle, don't you."

 

"It's a hobby."

 

"...What if this hadn't worked?"

 

"Doesn't matter. I knew it would work. Now they're right where I want them to be."

 

"Leave it to you to come up with a plan like this."

 

"What can I say, it's the writer in me."

 

"You sure you should be messing with their lives?"

 

"I'm just getting things moving. It's up to them where they go from here."

 

"...You really think you're right about this?"

 

"I do."

 

"What if you're wrong?"

 

"I'm not. I know what I saw."

 

Just then Alya came running over with Nino tailing behind her.

 

"How'd it go?" Alya asked as soon as she reached them.

 

"We'll know soon enough." Said Sierra as she gestured to Caleb to guard the door so that the excited girl wouldn't get through. "For now, let's give them some space."

 

"What? But I-"

 

"Come on Alya, they have enough things on their mind right now. Give them some space." Caleb said as he ushered them back to where the party was being set up.

 

 

"Marinette, wait!" Adrien called as he caught up to the girl and to his surprise she did. She turned on her heel to face him, her face full of that same anger and frustration from before.

 

"Is this just some game to you? Am I just some joke?" She didn't try to hide the emotion in her voice.

 

"What!? No! How could you ever think that!?" Her words had shocked him. He had no idea where she could have gotten such a crazy idea.

 

"Then what is this, Adrien? What are you trying to do? Tell me, because I don't understand."

 

"Marinette what are you talking about? I don't get it."

 

"What am I to you?"

 

"What are you to me?" The question gave him pause.

 

"Adrien. I know... that you're Chat Noir."

 

"What?"

 

_Crap_

 

"When I was in your dream. I saw you... as Adrien. I didn't want to believe it at first, but, it makes sense. That you're him."

 

"..." This was the last thing he thought could happen. She knew. She's known. _I guess that explains why she's been acting so weird._

 

"Adrien..." She looked him in the eyes. Her deep blue capturing his green, they hypnotized him, he couldn't look away if he wanted. Taking a deep breath, she said the words she could never say before. "I love you."

 

"What?" _What?_

 

"I've been in love with you ever since that first day... when you gave me your umbrella."

 

_What's going on?_ "Marinette... You know that I love Ladybug." She did know. She saw it in the dream. He told her on the balcony. Why was she doing this?

 

"I'm not asking you who you love more!" She shouted. Tears building behind her eyes. "I'm asking you how you feel about _me_." Her voice cracked. "Adrien. Are you in-... Do you have feelings for me?"

 

"Yes" the answer was immediate, there was no hesitation. He said it before he knew it. But he knew it was true.

 

She let out a sigh and her whole self relaxed. Her smile was a bit sad. "Thank you, Adrien." She turned to leave.

 

"Marinette, I-"

 

"I know. It's okay. Thanks for giving me an answer." She left.

 

 

"What do I do Plagg?!" Adrien asked his kwami as he paced in his room.

 

"Calm down, kid."

 

"I can't Plagg! Did you see her face? I broke her." He stops pacing and brows to his bed. Elbows on his knees, he dropped his head. "I had no idea she felt that way."

 

"Of course you didn't. She never said anything." The little kwami urged as he flew around Adrien's head.

 

"But it was so obvious! I can't believe I didn't figure it out before _now_!" The boy flops face down on his pillow and lets out a mournful groan.

 

"Kid. Come on. There's a bigger problem here than your love life."

 

"What are you talking about?" His words where muffled by the pillow.

 

"The girl knows who you are. What if she tells someone?"

 

"She wouldn't do that." He told him as he lifted his head to sit back up.

 

"You don't know that."

 

"Plagg, if she was going to tell someone, she would have done it by now."

 

"Who says she hasn't. Kid, you gotta make sure the girl doesn't blab."

 

"I hardly think-"

 

_Knock knock_

 

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the knocking at his window. Greatly confused by who could be knocking on his second story window, the last thing he expected to see was what he saw.

 

"Ladybug!?" He ran to the window and threw it open. The rush of the cool night air stung his face but he hardly noticed.

 

"Hey. Mind if I come in?" Her sweet, gentle smile made him feel week in the knees.

 

"N-not at all. But. What are you doing here?" He offered her his hand and she took it.

 

"I came to see you silly." She said as he helped her into the room.

 

" _Me?_ " He couldn't believe it. His lady came to see him... as Adrien.

 

"Yes. You. I can't come to talk to my partner?" _What?_

 

"You know?" Disbelief struck him hard, threatened to knock him over.

 

"I know." Was her simple reply.

 

"How?"

 

"I have my ways." She smiled and giggled as she walked past him. Then she turned around again to face him. "Adrien?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I love you." _What?_ Everything froze. He felt his heart stop. He couldn't have heard that right. But she was talking again. "I've been in love with you ever since that first day... When you gave me your umbrella."

 

_What?_ "......." Oh.

 

_Oh_

 

**_Oh_ **

 

 “... And I love you. And I have been in in love with you ever since that first day... When you declared to Hawkmoth and all of Paris that we would never stop fighting for peace." He could feel his eyes sting. He knew the tears were building behind his eyes and he knew they were due to happiness.

 

"..." A warm smile was on her face, her eyes full of love.

 

_Flash!_

 

Ladybug was engulfed by a bright red light. When the light disappeared Ladybug was gone. In her place stood Marinette.

 

Marinette. The sweet, kind, clumsy girl who sat behind him in class. The girl he'd hurt. The girl he loved. The girl he really should have seen coming.

 

"Hey Adrien? There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

 


End file.
